You're reading: Two Belarusian citizens detained in Luhansk region on their way to join militants

Ukrainian forces have detained two Belarusian citizens, both of them residents of the Brest region, at a checkpoint near an exit road from Lysychansk, as the two were trying the reach the territory controlled by militants, head of Luhansk Region Military and Civilian Administration Hennadiy Moskal said.

One of them is a former paratrooper and the other was in the military reserve in Belarus, although he had never served in the armed forces, says a statement, posted on the governor’s website on Sunday

The Belarusian citizens had illegally crossed into Ukraine in the Volyn region and reached the Luhansk region through Shatsk, Kovel, Kyiv and Kharkiv. At first they said their destination was occupied Perevalsk, where their relatives reportedly live, but later confessed that the actual purpose of their arrival was to fight on the side of the self-proclaimed Luhansk republic. They provided a hand-written account of their mission. A video was recorded, the governor said.

Ukrainian special services are working with them.

The Belarusian nationals are likely to be expelled from Ukraine and deported to their homeland. “Let the Belarusian law enforcement services deal with them,” Moskal said.